gelsenkirchen - fc schalke 04 will be looking to build on their run of three consecutive wins as they host galatasaray sk in the second leg of their uefa champions league last 16 tie on tuesday (kick-off 20:45 cet). a goalless draw would be enough to see the royal blues through to the quarter-finals following the 1-1 draw in the first leg , but schalke coach jens keller stressed at his pre-match conference that he expects his team to attack rather than worrying about the mathematics: "we won't be going for a 0-0," the 42-year-old said.
missing in action
jermaine jones' away goal on the stroke of half-time in ıstanbul three weeks ago has given the team a solid platform from which to build their challenge to reach the last eight, and their form is good with no defeats in their last five matches. they have been dealt some cruel blows in terms of team selection for this game, however.
midfield dynamo jones misses out through suspension after his yellow card in the first game, while senior striker klaas-jan huntelaar must also watch from the sidelines. the 29-year-old dutch international damaged knee ligaments in saturday's 2-1 revierderby win and will be keenly missed after coming back to form recently.
pukki gets his chance
ın the absence of 'the hunter' and fellow forward ciprian marica, teemu pukki is likely to lead the line for schalke. the finland international has struggled to hold down a regular place in the first team since joining from hjk helsinki in 2011, but looked sharp when he came off the bench in the win over dortmund and will certainly have a point to prove in such an important fixture.
ın spite of his missing stars, though, keller believes that the recent positive results have helped the atmosphere in the schalke camp. "the way we played against dortmund, as well as the support from our fans, were very special", he said. "the mood has been euphoric, and this could be something we can benefit from against galatasaray."
12th man needed
the turkish side boast an array of attacking quality, including dutch midfielder wesley sneijder and ıvorian superstar didier drogba. ın their last few matches, however, schalke have rediscovered their own attacking verve, scoring eight goals in three games. "we'll have to be wary, as our opponents are particularly strong up front. but like [in the recent victories] against wolfsburg and dortmund, we'll be looking to attack ourselves", said keller.
the game will also mark the return gelsenkirchen-midfielder hamit altintop, who spent four years with schalke between 2003 and 2007, and due to the city's large number of inhabitants with turkish origin, galatasaray could be enjoying an unusual support in the away game. however, the home faithful will no doubt be in full voice to make it a night to remember for the ruhr outfit.
